Why Everyone's Reading Clothing Labels Again

0:27Introducing Meta Glasses.

0:38hello and welcome to the debrief from the business of fashion where each week we delve into our most popular bof professional stories with the correspondents who created them i'm senior correspondent sheena butler young somewhere between the fitting room and the checkout a lot of shoppers now do the same thing They flip the tag, not to look at the size or even the price, but for the fabric content. Consumers want to know what they're dealing with. Is it cotton, polyester, elastane? A few years ago, that was a niche habit. Now it might just decide whether you buy the item of clothing at all. Gap found out the hard way this month when it re-released its beloved 90s happy striped knit.

1:19It was an instant nostalgia hit, right up until people read the label. 80 % polyester, 20 % elastane. Within days, the comments section had filed a Gap Classic somewhere next to Shein. That reaction isn't really about one knit top. Searches for natural fiber are up over 100 % in five years, suggesting this isn't just a niche sustainability debate anymore. Shoppers are concerned about skin, health, microplastics, and whether synthetic has quietly become a dirty word. So today, I'm joined by sustainability reporter Shiza Wallet to understand what's actually driving the run on natural fibers. And if this industry can give people what they're suddenly demanding.

1:59Shiaza, welcome back to The Debrief. Thanks for having me, Sheena. I'm so excited to chat about this. Okay, so consumers seem to have developed an obsession with natural fibers. And then these conversations around fiber composition have now moved well beyond these niche sustainability circles. Shiaza, when did you first realize that this was becoming more than a sustainability conversation? What changed? I feel like the realization started to come up in the last six months more than ever before. I think what started happening is people just instead of just talking about durability and value being like, oh, this clothes that I have, it didn't last me as long.

2:37So I want something better material is starting going more into this health conversation, which we weren't just seeing affect clothing. We're seeing it affect every part of our lives. You know, as you said in the introduction, Sheena, like people nowadays want to become more informed and aware about every aspect of what they're consuming. And I think clothes were kind of this final frontier for that. You know, people already care about what they're ingesting with food, what they're putting on their skin. And clothing kind of became this this item that not as many people were thinking about. Obviously, we're also seeing this happening in conjunction to the wellness trend.

3:08I wrote a story a couple of months ago that, you know, how sustainability brands are changing their marketing and positioning our wellness. and it felt like all this was kind of coming together at the same time and it felt like this is more than just sustainability because sustainability means both for the people and the planet and and it feels like i would say the average consumer is not really thinking about the planet as far a lot of our sources and the story talked about it's far away from them but it's become a lot about how people can live better lives and i think that's when it started to become more than just about sustainability you say six months ago was there like a tipping point or a headline or a moment when you felt or you saw like it's hitting fashion in a new way.

3:49And I ask this because I've heard a lot probably in the last year or two around microplastics and like it's in everything we eat. And now if it's in your clothing and I've heard like murmurings of that for a while. And I don't remember when it became a big deal when I started to think, oh, wait a minute, like is this denim jacket containing any microplastics? Was there a headline or was it just this culmination after a couple years of chatter? I think it's interesting because I don't think the six months has been like there was a headline in this last six months that really blew things up. I think it is very much a culmination, but particularly the microplastics conversation, I think it's just being propelled and is just increased so much more in the last two to three years.

4:31And that's partially because of legislation and advertisement bans that you're seeing. It's largely because of, you know, I suppose when you're going watching documentaries or seeing something on the street, you see ads that are showing that, you know, our stuff is organic and better. So I think it's kind of been this compounding effect over the last two to three years where you're seeing all these moving parts around healthier, like retail items, you know, and I think that's kind of what we're seeing fashion adopt to now and fashion consumers and shoppers are responding to. We'll probably unpack this a little bit more later.

5:02So I'm asking it prematurely in many ways, but do you feel like it represents a genuine shift in consumer behavior, or does it feel like the next wellness thing? That's what I can't tell the difference between. Like when you started reporting this, were you like, this deserves a story now because there's a shift? Or did you think here's another blip in a series of events that keep happening in the world of sustainability? I think this is a serious shift. And I think I feel that I've felt that in my reporting very significantly. And this one was a great example of that because I don't think health is a trend for people, you know, and I think when that entered the conversation, it became really clear that people are willing to pay a premium for this stuff, like natural fibers, what's healthier for them, what's wellness, what's clean, and the words no longer sustainability and premium, I feel like.

5:49So I don't think this is a trend at all. I think it would have been a trend if it was like, you know, a certain type of clothing in the summer. But even in that space, We're seeing a complete shift. And we'll get into this deeper as we talk about the different kind of levers that are leading people to to shift towards natural fibers. But I think it's it's anything but a trend in this point. And that's something that we wanted to really get in the story, right, that this is more than a trend. And also, it seems like different generations are arriving at their motivations for different reasons. Like in reading your story, you talked about something that resonated with me as a millennial, which is that a lot of it for us is probably around what we buy for our children.

6:25I think it's health across each generation, but health as parents, it seems to be a big motivator for millennials. Talk a little bit about how it's different for Gen Z. You know, the environmental thing seems to be important. Gen X has its own motivations. How are they different? Yeah, I think this was this is a really interesting point that a couple of sources for the story brought up that I had not really myself even thought about. And it happened to be the fact that a lot of younger shoppers are driven by the value that they're signaling. and so for them it's a lot about you know climate change like how can we be better citizens and how can we shop better for that and you know I will say that the fashion industry historically has put the onus of making a difference on consumers and I feel like right now the younger shoppers are carrying that burden because people who are older like whether you have millennials or like you know gen x I think the idea is like you know how can I live a better life you're trying to signal that you're trying to do something better for the world I mean some people are that you have those sustainability brand consumers who want that regeneratively grown cotton, you know, shirt and willing to pay$800 for it.

7:27But I think in general, to your point, you know, like I think the mature consumer bracket, if you will, they're trying to look at, you know, how can I live a healthier, better life? And it's more of a living standard question that it's for, let's say, a younger shopper who's still kind of maybe has the energy and also the mindset that, yeah, I want to have good quality stuff, but I also want to think about what this means at a more distant kind of supply chain level, I think. And that is not to say this is the majority of consumers. We're still looking at, you know, people who are very decisive about what they buy.

7:55But I think what's interesting about this trend is that you're seeing it across different age brackets, but the end result is the shift, right? So I think that's what's the most interesting part. I clocked being lumped into the older demographic about three different times. I just let the record reflect. So I want to talk a little bit because you mentioned, you know, that there is, or you infer that there's a brand opportunity here when you talk about people being willing to pay a premium regardless of their motivation. So you have these brands like Reformation, Doan, Pact, or just a few examples that are really leaning into it.

8:29This is obviously a more meaningful lean in than what we saw 15, 20 years ago. Like these brands have new information, there's new supply chain, changes that make them do this a little more effectively, you know, beyond the eco-friendly labeling of it all, the greenwashing of it all. And then Gap learned the hard way something else, like this iconic nit being criticized on social media because of the swap out. So I want to double click on the Gap a little bit. What were people saying? And how long did it take for it to bubble up on social media, because obviously there's a campaign that goes out on social media.

9:08People go to the store and they shop and they think to come back and read the label and then go comment. Like help us picture what happened and what people were saying. Yeah. I mean, I think the response was quite quick, actually, because it released like I want to say early June. And I think in a week it was in stores. And I think it started off with some TikTok commentary where people were showing the labels. But I think what started really getting traction is that comparisons to fast fashion. It's like, you know, what am I praying for here? Because, you know, just to remind everyone, like this item, this happy strap 90 item, it was in collaboration with Zach Posen, who's kind of, you know, come into Gap and really changed Gap's game.

9:44Like, you know, it's doing really well as a business after a long time. So the disappointment was doubled down on by the fact that this is supposed to be like a premium level of Gap, right? You know, it's like above$100. This dress is not like$40 or something. And so people, I think, are associating now price with natural fiber, which I found really interesting. I think that's what this instance really doubled down on, which is this idea that, you know, I only want to pay a higher price when something is cleaner, better, healthier for me. And that's quite interesting because, you know, historically athleisure or active wear has been more synthetic driven because of its performance qualities.

10:17And so people working out who care about their health or wellness, they were probably wearing more polyester at some point in time. And I would argue majority still definitely wear some forms of synthetics because that's what the majority of the market offers when it comes to health and wellness. So I think that was really what that this occasion and this event really highlighted. It's like people's, I guess, desire and demand for something that's better for them when they're paying a higher price. Do you see this as a sign that sustainability at long last can be a competitive advantage? I mean, that's my view.

10:48I'm not a sustainability reporter, but I as someone that I remember my first story about sustainability probably about a decade ago. And there was a lot of excitement. And I remember brands saying, you know, it's like some elements of fashion are like a commodity. It's like coffee or, you know, or corn or whatever other commodities exist. And when, when there's been, things are so similar, our advantage is going to be that we have the more sustainable version of that thing. And it didn't really come to bear. I mean, for many different reasons. But with this new obsession with natural fiber, is it now more likely that brands could really trade on this idea that they have better materials?

11:27Does it feel more real? I think this is a two-pronged answer, actually, because I think, unfortunately, the reality is some brands are going to bank on this moment and just maybe make some shifts and have more cotton and linen in their material makeup or in their offerings. And maybe, especially in the summertime when the weather is so hot, which is something we haven't gotten into, but that's been a big driver, especially in the summer months, when we've looked at the data of when people are searching for natural fibers, that's pulling people towards them. I think most brands, and I'm talking about like in the average consumer brands, like, you know, high street brands, I think the sad reality is that they'll probably make a lot of shift and have more items that are going to be natural.

12:07But that might that doesn't mean that that's going to be sustainable per se, because the reality is natural does mean that it might have a higher carbon footprint or material footprint, depending on how it's grown. And that's kind of been one of the biggest reasons that, you know, we see so much impact on cotton prices when the climate's worse and there's extreme climate impacts on agriculture and farming. And it's all of it's very much interconnected. On the other hand, to answer your question about, you know, is sustainability going to become this kind of winning moment for certain brands who are able to really pull this off?

12:38I think for the brands who've always been committed to sustainability, this is going to become a big driver of consumers coming to them. So that's something actually touched on on the wellness story. It's like brands can see that consumers want this healthier item. And the ones who've always been committed to kind of having their supply chain be clean, knowing about sustainability from in the more circular way, I think they might have a competitive advantage in that sense, because people will go to them knowing 100 % for sure that what I'm getting here is natural. But that is not to say that other brands won't bank on it, but whether or not that will be good for, you know, sustainable fashion, I think is an open question.

13:17And I think most of us report on it, think that it is just going to be this moment where the broader fashion industry latches onto this as a capitalistic moment to be like, OK, people want this. We're going to deliver no matter what. I believe that. You know, what's interesting for the non-sustainability reporters among us or for the uninitiated. I, cause I find this interesting in reading your story that, you know, this, this definition of something being, you know, natural and that equals good because it's a lot of borrowing from health terminology, natural equals, you know, better. We've seen this with beauty as well, like clean beauty, like what does it actually mean?

13:51Can you give us the too long, didn't read version of why cotton wool, et cetera, isn't automatically more sustainable and what the unnatural fibers actually can do better in terms of sustainability and climate change. Right. I mean, there's a long technical answer, but the simple answer is that when you have some things that's derived from the earth or from animals. So for example, if you talk about wool, like you need to graze cows for that and that cows emit a lot of methane and carbon dioxide when they're grazed, that immediately means that the carbon footprint of making wool to that final version that goes into like a sweater is going to be much higher than like, you know, certain synthetics and particularly polyester, which there's just so much of like one, like, let's say like one thread of polyester will have a lesser carbon footprint than like one thread of wool.

14:42And on the average scale, right, I'm not talking about recycled or anything like that. And with cotton, it requires more water for agricultures. There's like, you know, weather patterns that need to be taken into account. And if you're not growing it in a way which is regenerative, aka you're able to replenish the soil as you're growing the cotton, it will also have a major environmental footprint. So it's really about what we get from the earth and make it into clothes. And silk is the same. Silk also has a very high footprint. And it's something that sustainable brands are actually having the most difficulty navigating because getting the high level of silk in a different way is very difficult.

15:14Yeah, so anything that's derived from nature is kind of naturally has a higher environmental footprint because it's from the earth. How do you think, and I don't know whose job this is, But how do you encourage consumers to to ask better questions about materials without it turning into this overly simplistic natural equals good and, you know, synthetic is bad? Is there a way that that can that conversation happens or what's your what's your best tips if there's a brand listening and wants to do a better job and maybe not have profit be number one? OK, I'll stop. But like, you know, I'm saying is there a way?

15:51I don't know. I mean, it's because I do think the duty is of the brands. But at the end of the day, you know, as you mentioned, they're selling a product and they're going to try and resonate with whatever the consumer wants. So, yes, I think in terms of consumers becoming better aware, I think we're already seeing them asking questions that are going to make them better at form. One of the stats that we shared in the story was, you know, the searches for what is viscose really or like what is viscose rising by some 5000 percent in the U.S. over the last five years? because, you know, I think whenever you hear like a non, I guess, recognizable fiber, you know, whether that's viscose or whether it's viscose is a cellulose fiber, by the way, it is a natural fiber, but a lot of people associate with polyester just because it sounds doesn't sound like cotton or linen or wool, right?

16:35So I think consumers are already asking questions about particular materials and what they what they entail. But I think in terms of consumers being better buyers of natural, I think you would be that kind of person of to ask, like, oh, is this this cotton, where is this cotton from? Or you'd be asking questions like, you know, how is this cotton sourced? And I think those can give you much clearer answers than like, oh, this thing is just cotton, because that cotton could also include forced labor, which is also unsustainable, right? So we've had these problems, and they're very much a reality.

17:04And there's been a lot of legislations that are kind of moving in tandem. So it might be that, you know, brands actually will become more sustainable, not just because of this natural fiber demand for especially we're thinking cotton, the second biggest material on earth outside of polyester, there's all these forced labor regulations coming into place. So it might be that both of those come together and consumers wanting more and regulations asking for better might lead brands on average to be doing better when they're providing and offering natural fiber apparel. So we'll see if that happens.

17:34I think legislation almost always will move the needle at least a little bit. And then I want to, I'm going to move on to this sort of the future of sustainability, but You talked about this a little bit earlier, but I want to ask it sort of more directly because at leisure and athletic goods in particular, they use a lot of polyester. You mentioned that. Why can't brands simply get rid of polyester? Like it is more than half of what we're seeing when we go to the mall and buy clothing. Why is that probably not going away? Right. So number one is it's cheap. It's cheap. It's cheap. Like it is so cheap because it is subsidized by number one, the oil lobby, but also in general, there's just so much of it in this world.

18:15And also in terms of athleisure in particular, it's these kind of incomparable and very unique performance qualities that polyester has and synthetics have like, you know, in the 60s and 70s, when it became this big innovation that could allow you to, you know, make clothing that was more malleable, that was would be able to be more waterproof and things like that. it created an opportunity for us to use this material across different types of clothing. So you could have a polyester shirt, but you could also have a polyester waterproof jacket. And I think that's one of the reasons that fashion can't really shake it off at the mass level.

18:49But even at the very high performance level, and I wrote a story on this a couple of months back, is like polyester's performance and also malleable qualities are so unique to itself that it's very difficult to replace that in many ways. And, you know, I won't discount the fact that there's a lot of innovation happening right now, especially with biomaterials. And a part of it is to do with the fact that there is a consumer interest in that. But there's also brands who want to see what the next frontier is, like what can we do? How can we innovate? Those are the innovators of the world. Right.

19:18But those are highly in like pilot stages or very niche brands that have done it and have put it into market. But, you know, it's not like you're, you know, the store on your high street that you go and buy clothes from every day. We'll be back with more of the debrief right after this.

19:59Just saying. Hey, Meta, am I forgetting anything else? How about setting a calendar reminder for next year? Meta Glasses, available in more than 20 styles. I want to talk about the future of sustainability now. The question or the thought that kept coming in my head as I was reading your story about the natural fiber obsession was it reminded me, and I think you know where I'm going to go because we bond over my diversity coverage and your sustainability coverage. But I was reading and I kept thinking it feels like similar to diversity. And I watched the trajectory of that movement in fashion.

20:36It's like those human interest values driven areas like diversity, sustainability. They almost need a sidekick for people to care. Like brands had believed that they, you know, when you do a survey and you ask consumers, do you care where your clothes are made? Do you do you care of a diverse workforce is behind the scenes, you know, of the fashion brand that you love? They almost always say yes to that. Like who doesn't want to say yes to that in a survey? I mean, hopefully. And then when they go out to shop, that's just they just don't. The leap from that perspective and that value to their wallet is very, very large.

21:12Do you feel like why this is moving now is because it has a sidekick? And I know that's probably a derogatory word, but that's what came to my head. Like sustainability needs a sidekick. Like it needs to it needs to be hand in hand with health and you're like your wellness as a person or your children's wellness for people to care. It needs to be a values conversation. You know what? This cotton or wool holds up better over time for my money than the polyester thing. Like it needs something else. Does that resonate with you as a sustainability reporter? I think I agree with the sentiment that you're saying, but I think the framing actually wrote about it in the last sustainability newsletter.

21:49I wouldn't call it a sidekick as much as I would call it the realization. And I mean, realization and the actual kind of end result point where people are acting on this is that everything is increasingly feeling interconnected in this world. And I think in terms of, you know, when we talk about help being like, quote unquote, sidekick, I don't think it is because I think what it is is like we have climate change exacerbating. We have people being worried about their health more ever since the pandemic. And I think all these things together is what makes people feel sustainability is more important than ever.

22:18But I think the reality is, you know, like the word sustainability is what doesn't resonate with people anymore. And so we have these new other words to fill in for it. Right. And I also think it's largely about practicality, like, you know, at its at its heart and its core, sustainability is about what's practical and best for this world. And, you know, different industries have made it so that something else which is not sustainable is convenient for you. So I think what's happening now is like we're returning to this reality as, you know, it's getting hotter and people are literally needing to swim in the rivers to cool themselves off.

22:47And that leads to fatalities. And you're kind of like, OK, I want to dress better. So I'm not hot just walking everywhere. And we saw record temperatures this summer and we're probably going to see a bit more. And I think all this stuff is not really a side conversation or something that, you know, is being added on for people to care about, you know, diversity and sustainability, to your point. I think it's just time is showing us that what we've been pushing for is just becoming a reality for people. And they're addressing it and acting on it now because they're being confronted with it, you know.

23:16And I think in the newsletter I talk about that, like, you know, I think we need to look at sustainability as this very interconnected thing. And I think now consumers are feeling it at the practical level, which is why now the industry can be told and pushed in that direction as well. Like, listen, like, you know, you can't be looking at this as a one prong or umbrella solution to all these different moving parts. Do you think the conversation then has become more sophisticated? I don't think it's become less. I kind of was thinking through this question of like, did it become more or less sophisticated?

23:47I think I'm going to answer my own questions. It's probably more sophisticated. But I wonder, in addition to that, are consumers then now asking better questions or just different ones than they were five years ago? I think absolutely. I think people's vocabulary around what they want has become more better informed. And also, I think people have always known how to verbalize how they feel. Right. So, you know, I am extremely hot. It's like 45 degrees Celsius in Europe, in Paris, where, you know, it's kind of like I think even if people didn't know how to vocalize, OK, these are the kind of check boxes I want to fill for what I buy all the time because it might come off as like, you know, snobby or like, you know, I'm a certain type of buyer.

24:31I think people 100 % know how to how to talk about how they're feeling and how clothes can meet that meet them there. And I think that's what we're seeing right now, which is yes, a sense of sophistication, but also this reality where people are reacting to all these changes in a very personal and practical way. Yeah. So we're going to do lightning round. I am going to apologize in advance because I think the first lightning round question that we generated might have been answered already, or it might be, you'll tell me if it's stupid. You'll let me know. First lightning round question. Viscose, is it natural fiber or synthetic in disguise?

25:07And I'm going to preempt by saying you talked about this already, that people might be confused, but it is indeed, go for it. It is a natural fiber. But I will add nuance here that I didn't add before. In many instances, And this is largely to do with the way labels are printed and done, which is like when something exists in a really, really small percentage, it's often deleted from labels. So like, let's say it's viscose, 80 percent, and it might be that two percent of that viscose might actually be synthetic. So it becomes what we call a semi-synthetic. But that's a labeling issue. And that's something that she's also dealing with a lot now, which will be interesting to see how we how a lot of customers are going to buy something because it says 100 percent natural.

25:49But I think the onus of this will fall on brands. I'm glad I asked that question. That was a very good lesson. See, there you go. You learn something new every day. Second lightning round question. Will active wear a genuine evolution or just a novelty? I think it's a general evolution. I think you see more and more across the market. And I think a lot of these bigger brands internally are now grappling with how do we get to a bit more natural athleisure. And I think I'll say one thing, you know, like elastane is one of the key ingredients in athleisure and athletic performance. wear. So say that you have like 100 % wool workout clothing, like a bralette and a pair of leggings, it might, I mean, most of the time, even today, like it'll probably have a certain percentage of elastane, but we're seeing some major, major changes in the elastin space where it's becoming bio-based.

26:34And there's a particular manufacturer that's doing that work. And they work with all the biggest brands in the world, you know, from your Nikes and Adidas to your like Blue Lemons and stuff like that. And so I think that it will become this great shift because we're seeing that elastin moving towards natural too. We're seeing innovation there that's growing and scaling up. I hope you're right. The last question. So this whole movement, is it a lasting shift in how people shop or is this 2026's version of a wellness fad? I think this is something that's going to last. As I said earlier, I don't think the climate's getting any cooler.

27:08I don't think that people's concerns about health are ever going to decrease. If anything, I think the more people read. And, you know, we could argue it's almost too much that people are exposed to today that makes them maybe even anxious as shoppers. And, but I would say that this is something that's going to last. I just think it's going to evolve in its ways where I will just mention this, like microplastics, for example, we've seen so many like crazy studies come about it, you know, it's in people's placenta, that's in your brain, like all these crazy things. And then this year, a Guardian article looking at researchers said that, you know, there was kind of an over exaggeration in that study, because it wasn't peer reviewed to the extent that it needed to be.

27:41So there was a bit of that. So hopefully we'll see stuff like that, that kind of tempers the extent of knowledge that's available and what people are getting at. But I think on average, I think we're entering a very different era of how people shop, which is one where they want to know what they put on their bodies more than ever before. I hope you're right. I agree with you. I think I think we're going to land in the middle at some point. There are periods of overcorrection and then we sort of get back to the middle. I remember 20 plus years ago that's all I'm gonna say getting a book when I was like you know a little girl and it was about all the things you need to do to live a better life and it was like get all organic sheets and all these things and I was a little girl in the Caribbean my mom was reading this book and we laughed and we laughed at the ridiculous they were like oh my we would have to buy a whole new house to make this work and then you fast forward 20 plus years later and I think I don't think we would laugh at that book but we're closer to maybe people attempting to live that way.

28:39But I imagine we're going to have these big shifts and we're going to be we're going to be further ahead than we were when we laughed at my mom's book 20 years ago. We probably won't be leaps and bounds. That's my guess. Yeah, I would just add to that. I think that what we might see a little bit is like the commodification of people's health interests by the fashion industry. And then we'll see that, you know, denouement at the end. They're so smart now shoppers are going to be like, OK, these people are trying to like just sell me whatever under the guise and the framing of health and natural.

29:06So I'm going to maybe shift towards understanding even more. But I think in any case, it's like shoppers are smarter and more aware than ever. And that's not a trend. You know what I mean? Even if the products we see might come and go. But I mean, as I said, like, I don't think this is something that's isolated to one year. I think this is a long journey that we're on and and the world is on as well. Like, you know, we're going to see hotter summers. We're going to see colder winters. And that's going to translate into how people buy stuff on a practical level. And I think we're seeing it in the West now, but I mentioned this in my article from my sources, but I also seen it, you know, firsthand, like in South Asia, in the Middle East and in hotter climates and tropical climates, you know, in the Caribbean, like, you know, people wear natural because it's kind of what historically has always been, first of all, the most available, but also the most breathable.

29:50And now we're just going to see this happen at a more global Western scale as well. We trust your predictions. Shiza, Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you so much for having me, Sheena. This was great. Please be sure to check out Shiza's article, Why Consumers Are Ditching Polyester for Natural Fibers and more for reporting on sustainability at businessoffashion.com. These and other stories are available to BOF professional subscribers only, and you can find the links in the episode notes. You've been listening to The Debrief, produced and edited by Olivia Davies and Angel Nemov. I'm Sheena Butler-Young.

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